Warner Bros slammed after 'robbing' Brendan Fraser of 'Batgirl' role

Warner Bros. has been slammed online as fans criticized the production giant's decision to shelve their new Batgirl movie.

Up-and-coming actor, Leslie Grace, had been cast as Batgirl while film veteran, Brendan Fraser, was to play the lead villain. Set to reprise his role as Batman was Michael Keaton.

Per The New York Post, the $70 million project had already completed filming and was set to debut on HBO Max. However, this week it was revealed the film had been discarded and would never be seen by audiences.

Fans were left devastated as Leslie Grace's Batgirl role was highly anticipated. She would have been the first Latina woman to lead a comic book film adaptation, The Guardian reported.

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The project was also written by an Asian woman, led by two Middle Eastern directors, included a transgender actor, and would have marked Brendan Fraser's first big-budget film role in almost a decade.

The American-Canadian actor became a household name in the early 2000s for his role as Rick O'Connell in The Mummy trilogy, as well as having countless other film appearances in the fantasy genre.

Brendan Fraser (right) became a household name after the commercial success of The Mummy franchise. Credit: AJ Pics / Alamy

Superhero enthusiasts on Twitter were highly critical of the news that the film would be shelved. In fact, many insisted Fraser was "robbed" of the opportunity to portray the character of Firefly for a global audience of millions.

One person wrote: "Me reading the news that they cancelled Batgirl and robbed my boy Brendan Fraser from playing firefly."

Another added: "I just feel bad for Brendan Fraser. Dude got robbed."

A third chimed in to write: "We're not getting to see Brendan Fraser portray a tragic villain. We were robbed."

The directors who worked on Batgirl responded to the disappointing news with an Instagram statement that read, "As directors, it is critical that our work be shown to audiences." They went on to say that they "wish that fans all over the world would have had the opportunity to see and embrace the final film themselves."

Deadline has reported that Warner Bros. decided to shelf the film as the studio is "trying to find $3 billion in cost-saving synergies" after the company changed hands.

Per CNN, Warner Bros. released a statement on Tuesday (August 2) that read, "We are incredibly grateful to the filmmakers of 'Batgirl', and we hope to collaborate with everyone again in the near future."

Featured image credit: Sipa USA/ Alamy